For the transfer, the movements of the handling carousel and the carry-along element of the transfer device are matched to each other in such a way that the transfer device guides an article to the transfer position when a handling station is located there. For filling, labeling and/or printing of bottles, such handling carousels are known.
These known solutions have in common that during handling, form-fitting overlaps between bottle and handling device exist preventing a damage-free removal of the bottle. Either the bottle is fixed by the lowered handling device, so that the handling device and/or the fixed bottle collide with the guide element of the transfer device, or the bottle is vertically displaced to a handling position, so that a lifting device of the handling device for vertically shifting the bottle collides with the guide element. Such a collision would result in severe damage to the handling stations and/or transfer devices causing long repair periods and thus downtimes of the handling carousel.
WO 2012/107172 A1 describes a container handling machine for bottles or similar containers with a plurality of handlings stations, wherein between two adjacent handling machines at least one container transfer station is located. The handling machine comprises sensors and a driving mechanism to detect an increased diameter of the handling machine or transfer station as a result of heat expansion and to compensate such increase by shifting the complete transfer station.
EP 0 071 068 A1 describes a device for sorting faulty containers out of a transport flow, where a testing station checks passing containers for specified criteria and controls a diverter that diverts the faulty containers out of the transport flow.
EP 2 465 814 A1 is a transport device for feeding containers to a handling device transporting the containers along a specified transport path, where along the transport path an alignment device is provided, which aligns containers in part with respect to an angular position along its longitudinal axis by means of a guide.
EP 2 511 502 A2 describes a container handling machine with at least one gripper that is transported compulsorily for the handling of a container during transport, pick-up or removal along a specific transport distance.
WO 2009/060256 A1 describes a detection device to detect a faulty position of a container in a handling machine, which comprises an alarm sensor coupled with a trigger. When the trigger actuates the alarm sensor the movement of the container is stopped.
Due to the mass of the machines involved, in particular the handling carousel, and the usual handling speed of 20 bottles per second, an emergency stop normally does not result in an in-time standstill avoiding a collision. The movements are usually controlled via cam disks, which, independently of the handling result and possible disturbances in the handling station, force the transfer device to feed and remove the bottles. Thus if e.g. an (incorrectly dimensioned) bottle is jammed in a filling or printing station or the handling device in the carousel is not moved out from a collision position in due time before reaching a transfer position for the feeding or removal of bottles, many handling stations are destroyed before the machine comes to a standstill by means of an emergency stop. Due to the self-locking effect, the compulsory cam disk guide also does not allow the use of servomotor-driven guides, with which greater damage could be prevented.